Many cultures have gift giving traditions, many give gifts when visiting others. You bring a gift to your host. Today I went to visit a man who like me seems to have an appreciation of different aspects of Japanese culture. So I brought him a gift to show my respect and my appreciation. For being my host and being my guide into exploring rope.

I love giving gifts where I can put a lot of my personal energy, creative energy and thought and care into it, I think many people often lose the connection between the material gift and the real meaning behind the giving of gifts.

Un-related to this incident of giving, but something else that has been on my mind around giving… I think one of the hardest things about giving that I’ve discovered and learned, is that some people can completely mis-interpret the meaning behind the gift. Some people give gifts with an agenda, gift giving can be used as a an attempt to control others, manipulate the power balance in a relationship. Trying to make people feel indebted to others. I have never given a gift with this kind of intent behind it, and sometimes, most of the time, I forget that people can and do.

I think it’s important for me to remember, because for some people some of the time, it’s probably a greater gift for me to not give them anything. If me giving someone something makes them feel uncomfortable, or unhappy, then it completely destroys the whole reason for me wanting to gift. The only thing I want back from anyone is happiness.